Link baiting: verb; the process of creating natural inbound links to ones own website by creating remarkable content.

“It means to create something that naturally attract backlinks for your web page by getting people to talk about it, discussing it on forums, blogging about i, posting it on del.icio.us/Furl/Digg/Shoutwire and linking to it from their sites. It also attracts a lot of visitors.” By Jim Westergren

Now that you know what link baiting is, how do you go about doing it and why? If you don’t know how to or don’t want to dedicate the time to link baiting, are there services that can help? These questions and more are answered below.

Purpose of Link Baiting
If you have a website, any website, you want to attract a specific type of person to view your content. Whether it’s a “See my Family” or “Buy my Widget” site, you have information, services or merchandise you want to distribute.

The purpose of link baiting is to build traffic to your site. Unlike a land-based storefront where your customers can see you as they pass by, web visitors won’t know where you’re at (your URL) unless you get your address into cyberspace. By link baiting, you are helping your potential visitors find you.

Ways of the Successful Link Baiter
In the real estate business, the key mantra is “location, location, location.” Your URL is your location and, unless you’re on Main Street, you need to draw attention to your address. This can be achieved by adding neon lights, in the form of original content, illuminating the way.

Avoid duplicated content – articles or information that appears the same or very similar to articles or information on other sites – as it will tend to not rank as well as unique content.

When creating or purchasing content, your title should grab the attention of potential visitors. The title should contain the keywords that sufficiently describe your article. Ultimately, the title needs to be remarkable or outrageous enough to encourage bookmarks and links.

So what types of link bait work well? Regardless of your product, service or information, you can post a “Top 101” list for your field. These are easy for visitors to read and you can incorporate keywords multiple times while maintaining a clean look. While you’re at it, add “Tips for”, “Myths About” and “Jokes and Stories” sections about your industry or field.

Interview an industry big-wig. Not only will it make them feel important but you’ll get hits based on their name appearing on your site. Consider posting surveys, industry news reports and studies on your site.

Professional Services
If all this seems an impossibly large task to take on or if you prefer to spend time running your business instead of marketing it online, there are professional link baiting services available. Andy Hagans, an Internet industry expert, has a link baiting service available at http://www.andyhagans.com/link-baiting.php, with the price starting at $4,000 USD. Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz also offers a link baiting service available at http://www.seomoz.org/linkbait.php, starting at $20,000 USD. Both are well-known SEO professionals with a track record of impressive results.